he was still chief.
Even icy calm Alek had performed a perfect dark ballet of death back there.
Aron and Micha? Chriiist. The Russians were vicious, man.
Lucian Fane and his boy, Sorin? Seriously. Deadly. Absolutely deadly.
Jak? No fucking wonder G had their boy in his personal guard. He was morbidly lethal.
And, finally, Quan Mao. Freaking savage. Cold. And. Savage. The boy was in.
V sighed long and loud. He’d held his own by taking out the two kibitzing assholes hanging out in the back of the property. Shit. If they’d been overlooked, it would’ve been one nasty surprise considering the pricks had been carrying semis.
A mental replay of G getting a go at Furio, which they’d caught through the grimy front window of the cabin after the action had died down, had pride warming Vincente’s chest. Their boy could easily rule in the octagon if he wanted to go that route. Easily. Guy was wicked good.
Sobering, he pictured Eva. Face bruised, clothes sliced. Fuck. There was nothing in this world that flipped his kill switch faster than signs of abuse against the weaker sex. Thank God they’d gotten to this one in time.
He slumped even deeper into the leather and sent up a short prayer for the man laid out and still unconscious in the back of the truck. Lucian’s blip of history had certainly cleared a few things up. Stefano had had it rough as a kid.
But, then, so had most of them. Especially Maks. Christ, that guy’s past was all sorts of fucked-up. But look at him. He didn’t go around making everyone’s life miserable.
Only his, Gabriel’s, and Alek’s, because they had to live with the pain in the ass.
He cracked his lids open to watch the trees whiz by in the beam of the headlights. The coming months would be an interesting time. A busy time. Possibly a deadly time.
The intended boss had stepped up.
Gabriel would be taking his place at the head of his family. Finally. And Vincente would be at his right hand to do whatever he could to make the transition an easy one.
But not everyone would be happy with the new world order. Some would rebel. And he’d be there for that, too. Hopefully to convince the assholes to fall in, but if not, he’d put them down. Especially those who thought to continue with the underbelly business that he and Gabriel had always secretly weeded out without Stefano’s knowledge. No more need for secrecy. The zero-tolerance would be out in the open now. He knew without having to be told they’d start trimming the minute G opened the books.
He couldn’t. Fucking. Wait.
TWENTY-SEVEN
On some level, Eva was aware she was moving. A lot. She was also aware of Gabriel’s presence at her side through it all.
He’d come for her. He’d saved her from Furio. Him and her father.
As her mind lazed in a comfortable place that wasn’t quite sleep, she saw her past. Loneliness. All that effort expended striving for perfection. The life-altering change that came with her mom’s death. The slowly growing what-if-I-lose-them-too that now lived in the back of her mind regarding Nika and Caleb.
Then she saw what her future could be. Gabriel. Her father. Their family, consisting of an army of men who stood shoulder-to-shoulder at their backs. Protective. Loving. Loyal.
She could be a part of that. Regarding her father, at least. Gabriel? She wasn’t so sure. The trouble she’d caused him, with her father, his brother. Serious issues. Not simple stuff like butting heads with a boyfriend’s sister but putting him in the position of disrespecting a mob boss. Not to mention possibly ‘taking out’ his own brother to save her ass because she’d naïvely believed Furio’s lies. What if he’d killed Stefano?
She woke with a start and didn’t move for a bit as she once again had to get her bearings because she was in an unfamiliar place. The hum surrounding the small bedroom she was in was unmistakable. She was on an airplane. A luxurious one, she saw as she gingerly pushed herself into a sit to find she was alone.
Gabriel had to be nearby.
Right?
Panic had her ignoring the aches and pulsing wounds on her body as she climbed from the bed, absently noticing she wore a light blue hospital gown that was as soft as her own pajamas. She opened the only door in the small room.
She didn’t have a chance to take one relieved step.
Gabriel was traveling the narrow corridor, approaching her like a tank on a mission.